Canadian Survey of Gluten in Spices

In my column in the Fall 2013 issue of Allergic Living magazine, I tackle the issue of whether spices are safe on the gluten-free diet. In it, I note that spices do not usually contain gluten of themselves, but manufacturing practices are important to avoid cross-contamination with a gluten source.

One highly useful reference for my column is a 2013 report from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), in which samples of 268 domestic and imported ground spices were collected from retailers and then tested for the presence of gluten. Twenty-four percent of the samples (63 of 268) contained detectable levels of gluten ranging from 5 parts per million (ppm) to an eye-catching 20,000 ppm.

CFIA has given Allergic Living permission to post that full report below for interested consumers. Simply click the image below to read the report: